The Song of the Universe
by DemigodDaughterOfTheTARDIS
Summary: When the Doctor received a mysterious summons to Victorian London, he expected an adventure. What he didn't expect was a mystery and an adventure that would end in him finding what he had missed the most. Sorry that the summary sucks - I promise that the story itself is much better!
1. Chapter 1

It was strange, the Doctor decided, just how much time he actually spent on Earth.

The Doctor and Donna Noble were walking down the snow-covered streets of England, and while he was looking for a certain thing - which he had refused to tell Donna about - she was marveling at the dresses and horse-drawn carriages that surrounded them.

"Where are we, Doctor?" she asked, but then corrected herself after he gave her a look. " _When_ are we, sorry." she rolled her eyes.

"London, England." he told her. "During the reign of Queen Victoria. Hopefully no one recognizes me, I wouldn't want to regenerate from a decapitation…" he mused. Donna just gave him a look of disbelief, choosing to keep her mouth shut for once. After all, that adventure had most likely happened with Rose, and if there was one way to ruin the alien's good mood, it was to mention her.

"And what are we doing here?" she asked. She felt it was a reasonable question. After all, the last time that he had taken her someplace, some… _thing_ had used his body while she was getting pampered at a spa.

"Meeting someone." he told her, his tone distracted as he continued to scan the buildings on either side of the street. He pulled the black billfold that held the psychic paper out of his inner breast pocket, handing it to her so she could read the message scribbled inside.

 _Come on then!_ Was written in a flowing script. _I'm not going to wait around here all day._ There was a split second where the message disappeared, before it was replaced with a name and a date-and-time reference.

"And who are we meeting?" she asked, handing the psychic paper back to her alien friend.

"I've got no idea." he admitted, before looking at her and flashing a grin. "Should be fun."

"Ah ha!" he said happily, drawing some slightly scandalized looks from a group of ladies standing nearby - apparently he was being far too loud for their tastes. "Here it is!" he pointed to the wooden sign hanging out above the bustling pub.

"The Rose & Crown." Donna read. "Hang on, I know this place. Gramps and I used to come 'ere all the time."

The Doctor grinned, nodding at her. "Some places are old, Donna. Like this one." he simply explained, before heading inside.

The interior of the pub was warm and cosy, and filled with laughter and conversation. People were everywhere, filling every available seat. Barmaids were hurrying around, their skirts swishing in front of them to clear a path as they delivered trays of drinks to thirsty patrons.

"Something's not right…" the Doctor said quietly, and Donna scoffed.

"You're telling me! There's bloody rats everywhere!" she said, pointing at the floor.

But he just shook his head. "No, that's not it." he said, as he looked around the room. "Its… there!" he finally spotted it. He cut his way across the room, heading towards a door at the back with strange circular markings drawn on it with chalk - the same markings that Donna had seen back on the TARDIS many times before.

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The Doctor flung open the door, standing in it so that his overcoat billowed out behind him in a way he thought looked rather cool and mysterious. Donna thought it just made him look even skinnier than usual.

"Hello there!" he said to whoever was in the room - he was blocking the entrance, so Donna couldn't see. "I'm the Doctor. But you already knew that, didn't you? After all, you're the one who called me here."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, sir." A gentle voice said calmly, and the Doctor stalked into the room, with Donna following behind.

She was beautiful, that much was obvious. Her pale skin and olive green eyes were offset by her dark red hair, which had been piled up on top of her head in an elaborate style. She wore a beautiful plum-coloured gown made of crushed velvet, complete with bustle and cream-coloured trim, and looked as if she had just stepped out a women's fashion magazine for the time period. Somehow, she had managed to get a complete tea set in the seedy pub, and was currently adding sugar to her cup.

"Now, that's not quite true, is it?" he asked, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "Because, y'see, the writing on the door? That's Gallifreyan - the language of the Time Lords. So either you just got really lucky with your doodling, or you've been expecting me."

The woman smiled as she sipped her tea. "And how am I to know that you are who you claim to be?" she asked in response. "Anyone could claim to be the Doctor - how do I know that you are truly him?"

"Well, to start with," the Doctor said with a rather put-out look on his face. "I could tell you what is written on that door is rather rude. I'm supposed to be the rude one, you know - rude and not ginger, that's me."

She gave a small laugh, just as a snorting noise came from near the fireplace. Both Donna and the Doctor turned to see what it was. A small, scaly creature sat so close to the fireplace that it was nearly in the flames. It lifted its head and yawned slowly, revealing pointed teeth that set Donna on edge just a bit, before slowly blinking open yellow eyes.

"Thats a snake." Donna said slowly. "You've got a _snake_ for a pet _._ "

"Now, I wouldn't say that." the woman said amicably. "Rosaline isn't a pet, nor is she a snake. I suppose you would call her my… _companion._ "

"Right then!" the Doctor said. If you had just heard his voice, one might have thought that he was excited and cheerful. But both Donna and the mysterious woman were looking at him, and so they saw the dark gleam in his eye - the look of the Oncoming Storm. "Why did you call us here? I'm assuming it wasn't just to have tea and chat, because judging by what you think of me - the note on the door made that perfectly clear, by the way - this isn't a social call."

"You're quite right." she said, putting her cup back down on its saucer as she stood up. "But while we may have had our differences in the past, I can assure you that I don't have any issues with you at the current point in time. The question is, are you willing to help me?" she asked, as she stood up from her chair and walked over to a coat rack that stood in the corner.

"That depends on what we'd be assisting you with." the Doctor said slowly, and the woman smirked at him as she pulled on her long coat, buttoning it up quickly before placing the matching hat on your head.

"Oh stop playing around, Doctor." she chided. "You and I both know that you're going to help me - after all, you can't resist a chance to play the hero."

And with that, she whistled to her pet. The not-a-snake animal stood up before quickly darting out of the flames, racing over to the woman and settling in the fur lining of her coat. It moved so fast that all they were able to see of the creature was an emerald green blur, and then a pair of eyes that stared out at them from the relative warmth of a fur-lined muff.

"Well?" Donna asked. "Are we gonna help her?"

He didn't answer her for a moment or two, staring at the retreating form of the woman instead. When he finally did, though, it was with all of the exuberance that he could muster.

"Of course we are!" he said, quickly striding out of the room. "And as my friend Sir Doyle once said, 'the game's afoot!'"

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The woman had led them outside into the cold and snowy evening, quickly calling a cab.

"Number thirteen, Paternoster Row, please." she told him. "And quickly, if you wouldn't mind."

The driver nodded, barely giving them a chance to even get in the cab before he flicked the reins and started the horses.

They sat there in awkward silence for a minute, during which the Doctor stared at their mysterious associate, trying to discern every last detail about her, and she just sat, staring out the window.

Finally, Donna couldn't take it anymore. "Who are you?" she asked, getting the woman to look up at her. "You haven't told us anything about you! Do you seriously just expect us to come with you without any information at all?"

She smirked. "Well, that kind of is what you're doing, isn't it?" she pointed out, then gave a soft cry. She pulled a hand out of the muff to reveal a large red area on her hand. "Rosaline, that hurt!" she scolded.

Donna watched in surprise as the animal poked its head out of the muff and seemed to glare at the young woman. It's head was covered in emerald green scales, and had beautiful blue eyes with slitted pupils.

The Doctor looked at it in surprise. "That's a dragon!" he cried out, his voice cracking slightly. "Where did you find a dragon?"

"The dragon has a name, you know." she said testily. "Rosaline. We'd appreciate it if you'd use it."

Then she turned to Donna, picking up that conversation where they had left off. "But I suppose you're right. I'm acting a bit like him right now, aren't I?" she asked, but continued talking before she could get an answer. "Expecting you to just follow along behind me, no questions asked. What would you like to know?"

"Who and what are you?" the Doctor asked immediately, but she just frowned at him.

"First of all, I didn't say you could ask, you presumptuous git." she said sharply - she seemed to still be mad at him for his comments about the dragon - and that actually made Donna laugh a bit. "Besides, I couldn't answer that question even if I wanted to. Spoilers." she looked at Donna again. "Any questions?"

"What's your name?" she asked, and got a slight smile in return.

"Angel - I know it's not proper for you to call me by my Christian name, but I must admit, I feel as though I've known of you for my entire life." there was a mischievous glint in her eye as she said that. "And what is yours?"

"Donna. Donna Noble." she said, and the both the young woman and the animal on her lap looked at her in shock.

"You're Donna Noble?" she breathed out, and then her face broke into a grin. "Oh, I knew I liked you!"

Before she had a chance to ask what Angel was talking about, the carriage came to a stop, and the young woman quickly exited the vehicle, making sure the dragon was tucked back in her muff as a guard against the cold and snow as she made her way up to the door after she paid the cab driver.

She led them into an elegantly decorated parlour, and placed Rosaline on a cushion before turning to them. "To business, then." she said, gesturing to two chairs for her guests to sit in.

She sat down as well, spreading some newspapers out on the table before them. The headlines were lurid, screaming, "tenth tunnel digger dissapears, police stumped".

The Doctor leaned forward in his chair as he pulled his specs out of a pocket and slipped them on. "Well look at that." he mused, then looked up at the woman - Angel. He couldn't figure her out, and it was driving him mad - well, madder than usual. She looked and acted the part of a proper Victorian lady, but there were some things - her knowing Gallifreyan, for instance - that just didn't add up. "You think there's trouble?" he asked, and she rolled her eyes.

That was another thing that was irriating. All of his companions - even Donna, even Rose - had always acted like he knew everything. Sure, it could be nice, but there were those rare moments when he didn't know what was going on, and then they usually teased him for ages afterwards. But this one, this one was different. She acted almost as if she knew what he really was - just a madman with a box. Stuff of legends, sure. But really just a traveler, trying to do some good.

"Obviously. The only question is, what is it?" she asked. The dragon - Rosaline - had slipped out of the muff while they were getting situated, curling up next to the fireplace once more.

"What's the matter with her?" Donna asked, pointing to the sleeping dragon. "I thought dragons were supposed to be big and violent."

The Angel laughed softly. "Sometimes they are." she admitted. "And she can be plenty violent when she wants to be. But she really hates the cold, and we just got back from a long trip… and she's really more of a kitten than a dragon. Loves to curl up in warm spots and sleep the day away when she can."

"Well, d'you think she would mind waking up long enough so that you could show us where these terrible tragedies have been occuring?" the Doctor asked.

She looked at him in outrage. "Do you really think I'm going to let you go down there alone?" she asked.

"Course not! I'll have Donna with me!" he said, trying to sound reassuring.

"Well as comforting as that is, I'm still coming with you. Just give me about ten minutes to get changed into something more appropriate." she said quickly, before hurrying out of the room and up the stairs.

"I don't think that a different skirt is going to help much!" he called after her, but she didn't respond.

As soon as she was out of sight, the Doctor was up out of his chair, sonic in hand.

"What are you doing?" Donna hissed as he started to go around the room.

"Looking for information." he muttered. "There's no way she's a human, or if she is, than she's not from this time period."

"D'you really think that you're going to just find something lying around here?" Donna asked, just as he spotted a small blue book.

His hearts lept into his throat as he slowly walked over to it. As he got closer, he could make out more details - the perfect shade of TARDIS blue, the two hearts etched into the cover, surrounded by flowers. He was about to pick it up and start going through it, when that dragon was in front of him, sitting on the book.

"Come on, girl." he crooned, hoping to get the overgrown lizard to move. "I just want to have a look, that's all."

But instead of moving, the creature curled up on the book, with little puffs of smoke billowing from its nostrils.

"Alright, I'm ready!" the Angel called from the doorway. The Doctor turned around, and froze.

"That's not a skirt." he said - rather unneccessarily. The young woman had shed her dress, and was now dressed in dark blue bell-bottom jeans, a turquoise tank top under a leather jacket, and purple high-heeled boots.

She just looked at me in amusement. "Excellent deduction, Doctor. Top of the class!" she said sarcastically.

"You're not from here, are you?" Donna asked, and she gave a wry smile.

"Sorry - _spoilers._ " she said, before walking over to where I was standing. She gave me a disappointed look when she saw what I was trying to do, though.

"You ought to know better than to look through a lady's belongings, Doctor." she chided. "Hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude?" with that, she slipped past him, letting the dragon climb up her arm before settling on her shoulders, curling irs tail over her collarbone while she picked up the book and slipped it into a pocket on her jacket.

Donna snorted a laugh. "Oh, yeah." she said. "He just doesn't listen."

"Oi!"

She rolled her eyes, before gesturing to follow her. "Come on, then." she said impatiently. "We've got a mystery to solve."

And with that, she led them out into the snow-covered streets of Olde London Town.

 **A/N~ Alright, so here is the first chapter of the brand-new Angel-Verse! I'm already liking this a lot more than the old version, that's for sure! Please don't hesitate to let me know what you think - everyone's opinion is welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2

This time, the Angel threw on a large hooded cloak to hide the fact that she wasn't properly dressed for the time period, before taking them back out into the cold. She didn't bother to hail a cab, though, instead choosing to lead them through streets and back-alleys until they reached their destination.

"You're joking." Donna said, as she stared down at the manhole that the other redhead had opened up. "Why would we go down there?"

"Because it's the quickest way to get to where all of the tunnel diggers are disappearing." she explained, already halfway into the hole. "With the least likelihood of having to explain to the police why we're down there in the first place. Now come on!" she called out, before dropping down into the hole completely.

Donna looked over at her best friend, but as soon as she saw that manic gleam in his eyes, she already knew what he was going to say.

"Allons-y!" and with that he disappeared, down into the hole. Donna gave a long-suffering sigh before she followed after the two mad people.

The sewer tunnels were dark, but warm and only slightly damp instead of cold and gross like she had expected them to be. "Hang on." she realized. "You said that they were tunnel diggers, yeah?"

"That's right." the Angel said as she picked up a branch from the ground and wrapped something around it. "They were working on an extension to the London Underground."

"So what are we doin' in a sewer, then?"

"It's the quickest way there." the Angel explained again, before holding the branch out in front of her. "Rosaline, would you mind giving us a bit of light?" The dragon nodded, before climbing out onto the redhead's outstretched arm. She let out a small burst of flames, effectively lighting the bit of fabric that the Angel had wrapped around the stick, creating a torch.

"That's better!" the Doctor said excitedly, reaching to grab the torch from the young woman. He stopped, though, when he saw the unimpressed look that she was giving him. "Sorry." he said, sounding completely surprised that he was even saying the word.

"It's alright." she said graciously, handing him the torch before gesturing ahead. "Lead the way."

They made it a few more feet before they came to a split in the tunnel, at which point the Time Lord stopped and looked back at them sheepishly. "Um, yes. Right. So… do either of you know where we are, or exactly where we're going?"

The Angel sighed, holding her hand out for the torch, which he handed over willingly. "This way!" she called out as she marched down the tunnel, brandishing the torch out in front of her. Rosaline had jumped down from her shoulders, and was now walking alongside her. The little dragon's legs were covered in sewer water, and parts of her belly were as well. The Angel noticed that as soon as she looked down, and she crinkled her nose. "Don't even think about climbing back up until you're clean." she warned, and the dragon hissed at her.

"Don't you sass me, young lady!" she retorted, and the Doctor and Donna could only stare at the strange conversation they were witnessing. The pair seemed to be communicating through facial expressions alone, unless…

"Oh!" the Doctor explained, beginning to piece things together. "You have a psychic link!"

"A what?" Donna asked him.

"A psychic link." he said, moving closer to the Angel and beginning to scan her with his screwdriver. "Connecting their brains, so that they can communicate… without ever saying a word."

He didn't even realize that they had stopped moving, or how irritated she looked, although Donna did. The ginger-haired woman was trying hard not to laugh at the look that was on the other woman's face, and was finding it a rather difficult task.

"Would you quit bleepin' me?" the Angel asked even as she snatched the screwdriver out of the Doctor's grip. He pouted at her until she returned it, and then continued moving through the tunnels, lifting the hem of her cloak with one hand to keep it from getting soaked.

The Doctor stood there for a moment, just watching the girl as he waited for Donna to catch up.

"Something's not right." he told her, watching their new companion through narrowed eyes. "The scans say that she's human, but she can't be."

Donna looked at him in confusion. "Why not?"

"Because humans don't have the telepathic ability to create a psychic link." he explained. "But there's no other explanation…"

"There is if you'd bother asking." the Angel called back to them, before holding up a hand and motioning for them to stop moving.

"What is it?" the Doctor asked, craning his neck to try and see around her.

"We've reached the end of the sewer tunnels." she whispered. "This is where we switch over into the London Underground. So be careful, and watch your backs. We have no idea what could be down here."

But that was when he noticed something flickering in her eyes. It wasn't much, and only really lasted for a few seconds, but it was there all the same. And he knew, without a doubt, that she did know what was down in the tunnels with them - she just wasn't going to say anything.

Which of course only brought more questions to the front.

He moved forward past her then, and this time she actually let him take the torch and lead the way. She had a little smirk on her face, though, like she knew something was coming, but didn't want to spoil the surprise.

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They walked about a mile further before anything happened.

There was a clanging, scratching noise, like someone had thrown a handful of rocks against the metal rails.

"Here we go." the Angel said quietly, even as the Doctor brandished the torch in front of them.

"Is someone there?" he asked, and both ginger women rolled their eyes at him.

But it was Donna who was the first to spot anything. She had turned around for just a moment, when she noticed a pair of blue eyes staring at her out of the darkness. They glowed slightly, reflecting the flames from the torch, and the only things that she saw in them were fear and anger.

"Doctor." she called out softly, trying to keep from making any sudden movements or loud noises, just in case that whatever species it was was sensitive to such things.

"Yes, Donna, what is it?" he asked, but he sounded rather annoyed, like she was bothering him in her attempt to help. She felt any shred of confidence that she had in herself fading slightly at that, and couldn't help but feel even more discouraged because of it.

 _I mean, you're not special._

The words ran through her head, completely unbidden.

 _You're not powerful, you're not connected, you're not clever._

She knew that the Doctor hadn't meant it like that. But after a lifetime of hearing those words come from everyone around her - especially her Mum - they hurt more than she would've liked to admit.

 _You're not important._

She sighed, shaking her head. "Never mind." she called back, and the Doctor didn't even take the chance to acknowledge her.

"You're wrong, you know." the Angel said as she sidled up next to her. She had found another torch in the Underground tunnel, and had lit it with a little help from Rosaline. Now it was in her hand, making her hair appear even redder than it actually was with the firelight glinting off of it.

"What d'you mean?" Donna asked, turning to face the younger woman. She gave a small smile as the little dragon - Rosaline couldn't have been any bigger than a cat - flapped her wings and gently lifted herself up into the air before settling on Donna's shoulder.

"You're not stupid." the other woman said gently, and Donna could feel her face heating up. So of course, she did the first thing that came to mind - she started yelling.

"Who d'you think you are, missy?" she snapped. "Going through my head like that?" Of course, she had no proof that that was what had happened, but considering that she traveled with the Doctor… she had learned by now that the stranger an idea was, the more likely it was true.

"Oh!" the other woman said as her eyes went wide, like she hadn't expected that response. "Oh, no - that's not what happened, I promise. Not at all."

She looked at her in confusion. "Then how…?"

"How did I know what you were thinking?" she asked, and Donna nodded. "Because I used to think the same things." the dragon - Rosaline - made a sound almost like a cat purring, and nodded her head, like she knew exactly what they were talking about. "But it wasn't true for me, and it's not true for you."

She probably would have said more if Rosaline hadn't hissed and jumped off of Donna's shoulders, landing with a flap of her wings in front of them. She hissed again, and opened her mouth as if she was about to breath fire, but then stopped.

"What is it?" the Angel asked, and then she saw what had gotten Donna's attention in the first place - the blue eyes that sparked with life and fury in the glow of the torchlight. "Oh." she said slowly, grabbing ahold of Donna's arm and pulling her behind her. "Doctor!"

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 _The Angel's P.O.V._

I couldn't help but grin slightly when I caught my first glimpse of those blue eyes shining out of the darkness. I knew those eyes, probably better than I knew my own parents' eyes.

But then I noticed the fear and loathing in them, and I remembered something very important: I might've known those eyes, but they didn't know me yet. Which meant that both Donna and I were in danger. I knew that I didn't have to worry about Rosaline at all - the feisty little dragon could take care of herself just fine.

"Doctor!" I called out, refusing to take my eyes off of the eyes. "I think Donna found what we're looking for." I heard the sound of trainers on the gravel floor of the tunnel, and then he was at my side.

I still didn't know what to make of this new face of his - or rather, this old one. I vaguely remembered meeting him before, but it had been so long ago now that I barely remembered any of it. _My_ Doctor and I had made up not too long ago - maybe around twenty years or so - but this face… it had a whole other set of grief-filled circumstances attached to it. I was trying my best to be kind to him, to do what… what Mum would've wanted me to, but it was so hard to do.

This Doctor was still so raw and full of grief both from the Time War and from losing Rose Tyler… he focused in too much on the little details, and was willing to send the rest of the world to hell if it meant that his specific people were alright. But at the same time, he was so suspicious. I knew the stories, I had learned them at my mother's knee of just how bad he could be. But I never expected to have to learn how to deal with this face on my own.

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 _No One's P.O.V._

"Oh, hello there!" the Doctor said happily, holding his torch out in an attempt to get a better look at the creature standing in the shadows. "Sorry about the intrusion, but… are you the one who's been making people disappear?"

Both women shot him looks of disbelief - he guessed that it was because he had just come out and said it like that. Of course, he wasn't sure if that really was what the Angel was thinking, but he'd had enough experience with Donna by now to know what that look meant.

"I am, ape." A voice hissed out from the shadows. The word 'ape' was practically dripping with disdain.

"Why?" the Doctor asked, continuing their conversation. "And why won't you show your face?"

"Why did I kill them? The voice asked, and there was just the barest hint of sadness in it. "Because they killed my sisters as they slept, and so I took my revenge."

"Oi!" Donna cried, sounding outraged. "Who're you callin' an ape?"

"You, stupid mammal." the voice sneered, and then there was a pause before it spoke again. "Although... your companions, they smell… different."

"Why don't you come out of the shadows?" the Angel offered, taking a step forward so that she was standing in front of the Doctor, instead of being shoved behind him. "We won't hurt you, I promise." Rosaline made a purring sound as well before chirping quickly three times in a row.

The person in the shadows stepped out in the torchlight then, and both of the women gasped, although for different reasons. Donna gasped because of the scaly green face that stared haughtily at them. Large crests covered its head in something that almost resembled some sort of ornate headgear instead of hair, and from what the woman could see, it appeared as though the alien's entire body was covered in scales.

The Angel, however, gasped because of the large gash covered part of the newcomer's abdomen.

" _Homo reptilia."_ the Doctor said, sounding awed.

"What?" Donna asked, baffled. "What's that in English?"

This time, it was the Angel who answered. "Silurian."

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They managed to get back to 13 Paternoster Row after that by covering the Silurian with the cloak that the Angel had been wearing on the way there. The willowy red head was fussing over their newest companion throughout the duration of their trip, and Rosaline had curled herself around the lizard woman's - for the Silurian was clearly female - neck, helping to keep both of them insulated from the chill of an English winter.

Once they got back inside, the Angel practically commanded the Doctor to go and start up the fire while she and Donna got their new guest situated. Rosaline was refusing to untangle herself from around the Silurian's neck, causing the Angel to mutter about 'silly dragons'. They finally managed to get the woman seated in the parlor, at which point the Angel went running upstairs, saying she'd be right back.

That left Donna sitting there with the stranger, unsure of what to say. The other woman was staring into the fireplace as she absently stroked the dragon, a small smile forming on her face.

"I'm Donna, by the way." she said, feeling the need to say something, _anything,_ just to break the silence that had fallen. "Donna Noble."

The woman stiffened for a moment, but Rosaline let out another soft click, and she relaxed. "I am Vastra." she said slowly, turning to look at Donna. Although she no longer looked like she was plotting murder, there was still something about the way that the reptile woman held herself that had Donna fearing for her safety.

"Sorry, but…" Donna paused for a moment, unsure as to how she should phrase her question. "What planet are you from?"

Vastra made a low, throaty sound that took a moment for the redhead to register as laughter - she wasn't expecting the sound, given how sullen and hostile she had been so far. Rosaline cracked open one eye as she was jostled around slightly as the woman laughed

"Sorry, but what's so funny?" Donna asked.

"My people are an ancient race that long predates humanity in their mastery of the Earth." she said, and then her smile turned feral. "My sisters and I would hunt your ancestors for _sport,_ ape." she hissed.

"Vastra!" the Angel called out sharply, causing both of the women to turn around. The young woman stood in the doorway, a look of absolute fury painted on her face. Rosaline had flown off of the Silurian's shoulders as soon as she heard her. The green dragon came to a stop next to the red head, curling her tail around the woman's leg, narrowing her silver eyes at them.

The Silurian warrior hissed out her displeasure at losing her scaly companion.

"Oh stop it, you overgrown lizard." the Angel countered, a hint of teasing in her voice as she made her way across the room to where Vastra was sitting. She knelt down in front of the woman and pulled open the futuristic-looking skin tight suit that she was wearing. "Now hold still - this won't hurt a bit."

It only took a second for her to get the strange-looking contraption she was holding to work, but once it was finished, the large gash was healed completely without a mark left behind. Vastra jumped in her chair, letting out a pain-filled hiss.

"There, you see? I lied." the Angel said, giving a tight smile.

"What is that?" Donna asked, pointing to the device.

"What, this?" she asked, holding out the device for inspection. "It's called a dermal regenerator. Basically, it fixes any cuts quickly, with no scarring at all."

That was when the Doctor spoke up from where he was seated in the corner. "Now then, play nice with Donna. She's one of the least irritating humans I've met, and you're going to be dealing with them a lot from now on."

Both women reacted at the same time - Donna by shouting "Oi!" and Vastra by just looking shocked.

"You expect me to live amongst the apes?" she asked, looking more and more horrified by the second. Rosaline hadn't even waited a second before heading back over to Vastra, this time curling up in a ball on her lap, purring like a kitten when the lizard woman ran a hand over her scales.

"I'm sorry." the Angel said. "But you have to. This is the time period that you are meant to be in."

"Who are you to be the judge of that?" the Silurian hissed.

What happened next was something that Donna would never forget.

The younger redhead looked right at the Silurian, and said a single word. "Family."

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Once that revelation was done with, it took very little effort on their part to get the newly dubbed Madame Vastra set up in Number Thirteen Paternoster Row. The Angel had promised to stay with her for the first few weeks before going back home, and the Doctor was so baffled by that point at her behavior that he didn't even bother to try and question her about where exactly 'home' was.

The Doctor and Donna only stayed in London for another day or two after they had found Vastra, and on the morning of their departure the Angel escorted them back to where they had left the TARDIS. She had refused to let the Doctor go back for it alone, saying that he most likely would have left them all in his hurry to leave even the tiny bits of domesticity behind. In Donna's opinion, she was right.

The Angel had donned another period dress for the occasion, although she was still having trouble with convincing the Silurian to wear them. This one was made from a deep blue silk, with white lace around the neck and arms. It flowed down to the floor in layers, with a bustle and corset forming her figure. However, the majority of the dress was hidden by the hooded cloak she wore - both to keep herself warm and to hide the dragon that was settled around her shoulders.

"So, I suppose this is good-bye, then." the Angel murmured. The Doctor rocked back and forth on his heels, staring at her intently. Donna had already headed inside of the TARDIS, after giving the younger redhead one last hug.

"I suppose it is." he finally said. "Unless… I don't suppose you'd want to join us?"

The surprise on her face was nearly comical. "What?"

"All of time and space, right through those doors." he said, beginning to babble as he tried to tempt her on board. "Well… right through those doors and a trip through the Vortex. Still, you've more than proven yourself, I think. So what d'you say?"

She just stared at him for a minute, and the Doctor was starting to worry that she had been sent into shock by the sheer amazingness of his offer… when she burst out laughing. She ignored the scandalized looks of passers-by as her laughter grew, until she was doubled over by it.

"What? What is it, what's so funny?" the Doctor asked, sounding insulted.

It took her another few minutes to calm down, but when she did she stood back up and answered him. "Sorry, 's just… does that speech really work? All of time and space and all that? Do people really fall for it?"

He stared at her in complete shock, before managing to splutter out, "Who are you?"

She laughed one more time before smirking at him and saying one word that had his pulse racing with the promise of mystery and adventure.

" _Spoilers._ "

And with that, she turned around and disappeared down the crowded London street.

 **A/N~ Hello my lovelies! Thank you so much to all who have read this, and I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to update this! So as an apology, I made this a long chapter for you all. I have to say, I had a lot of fun writing Vastra like this - untrusting and uncooperative. Let me know what you think!**

 **Also, I'm sorry to say this, but this story doesn't seem to be getting much support. And while I love the Angel and Rosaline, I have lots of stories that need to be finished. So unless there is a sudden change in the stats, this story will be going on an indefinite hiatus. I don't want to, but I have to think about the grand scheme.**

 **Thank you to KirkSauber for your review.**


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